Rotary peanut-stemmer.



T. M. LILLISTON.

BD JAN:9,19.14. v 1, 1 03,305; Panted July 14, 1914.

4 SHEETSSHBBT 1.

T. M. LILLISTON.

ROTARY PEANUT STBMMER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1914.

' 1,103,305. PatentedJuly 14,1914,

4 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

T. M. LILLISTON.

ROTARY PEANUT STEMMER. APPLICATION PILED JAN. 9, 1914 Patented July14,191L

4 SHEETSSHBET 3.

T. M. LILLISTON.

ROTARY PEANUT STEMMER. APPLICATION PILEI) JAN. 9, 1'914.

Patented Jly 14, 1914.

4 SHEETSSHBBT 4.

."H NORRIS PETRS CO.. PHOTO-LI7'HQ. WASH1NGTON. D. C

UNI1ED smrns PATENT OFFICE.

TIIOMAS M. LILLISTON, OIE SUFFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONALMACHINE CORPORATION, OF NANSEMONJ), VIRGINIA, A CORJ'GRATION OFVIRGINIA.

ROTARY PEANUT-SIEMMER.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented July 14., 1914.

Application fi1ed January9,l9l4. Serial No. 811,214. V

T0 aZZ wlwm z't may concem Be it known that I, TIIOMAS M. LILLISTON, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Sufi'olk, inthe county of Nansemond, State of Virginia, have invented certain newand useful Improvements 1n Rotary Peanut-Stemmers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates broadly t0 meohanisms for use in the peanutindustry and more particularly to a mechanism especially designed forstemming peanuts and analogous uses.

The principal ob ect ot th1s invention 1s to provide a mechanismorstemm1ng pea nuts wherein the peanuts undergo a cleaning and polishingaction within the stem ming mechanism.

A.nother object of this invention 15 the production of a mechanism forsubjecting unstemmed peanuts to attrition during the stemming process.

A further object of this invention 1s the production of a self-containedpeanut -stem- 1ner comprising a receptacle for the peanuts and stemmingsaws coperating with the receptacle and wherein the stemming saws andthe receptacle are mounted upon a removable trame in such manner as toconstitute a unitary mechanism.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a peanut stemmcrwherein the peanuts are subjected to a progressive movement in thenature of a slowly advancing spiral path wherein the nuts aresuccessively brought into the paths of the stemming saws.

Other and urther objecte of this invention Will in part be obvious andWill in part be pointed out in the specification hereinafter followingby reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like charactersrepresent like parts throughout the several figures thereof.

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the stemming drum and stemming saws.F ig. 2 is a sectional view of the drum and stemming saws taken onsubstantially a horizontal plane as indicated by the line AA, Fig. 4:.Fig. 3 is a cletail end view of a portion of the mechanism. Fig. 4 is aview, showing details of the drum and stemming saws,

wherein certain parts are illustrated in section. Fig. 5 1s a deta1lv1ew of a part of one of the stemmmg saws. Fig. 6 15 a view indicatingthe arrangement and construction of parts wherein the entire stem- ?mingdevice is selfcontained in the nature ;Of a unitary structure. Fig. 7 isa diagrammatio view illustrating the path of the peanuts While in thezone of the stemming saWs.

The art relating to peanut stemmers shows it to be old to use as astemmer, a cylindrical stemming drum arranged on a horizontal axis,wherein the stemming drum comprises a plurality of pulleys having non--foraminous peripheries, spaced apart t0 provide circumferential slots,and a single set of stemming saWs extending within the drum through theslots, and wherein the stemming saws are rotated to maintain aperipheral speed less than the peripheral speed of the drum. Suchconstructions have not proven practical since the unstemmed peanuts Willnot properly feed through the drum, and since stems broken off withinthe drum can only 'escape through the circumferential slots, therebyimposing so much work upon the stemming saws as to render them incapableof effectually performing their normal functions. F urthermore,experiment has shown that a single set of stemming saws coperating witha stemming drum having a peripheral speed equal. to, or greater than,the peripheral speed of the stemming saws, Will not effectually stempeanuts because the greater speed of the drum has the tendency ofcarrying the unstemmed pods over the sawteeth, thereby preventing thestems from catching betweeri the teeth.

Applicants device which Will hereinafter be described in detail byreference to the drawings, has by extended practical' and commercial usebeen shown to overcome the difficulties above specified With referenceto the known prier art of peanut stemmers.

Applicants device comprises a self-contained or unitary group ofmechanism, which includes a long drum of which substantially theone-half portion is an inclined rotating sieve, and the remaining0n6-half includes the stemming portion p-roper made up of short sectionsof cylinders formed of perforated metal. The whole drum is mounted on aninclined axis and is provided with -a relatively small in- -let openingat the receiving end, Which opening is substantially entirely inclosed.by an inlet trough, and is provided with a relatively large outletopening at the discharge end ofthe drum. The outlet opening is of suchsize' that the discharge end that the stemming saws, during operation,'

Will have their peripheries substantially covered by peanuts. The midportion of the drum is provided with an annular gear which meshes with apair of small pinlons mounted upon, their respective stemming sawshafts. The bearings for the stemming saw shafts are fixedly attached tothe frame work that carries the stemming drum in such manner that theentire mechanism is selficontained. The diameter of the stemming saws issubstantially twicethe diamete1" of their driving pinions, s0 thereforethe peripheral speed ofthe stemming saws is substantially twice theperipheral speed of the drum, since the peripheral speed of the pinionsis substantially the same as the peripheral speed of the drum. The lowerstemming saw shaft is preferably located to one side' of the verticalline bisecting the drum and on the side in the direction of the rotationet the drinn. The upper stemming -saw shaft is located farther up on theperiphery of the drum so that the saws carried thereby are beyond thezone of action of the first set of saws on the loWer shaft. Theconstruction and arrangement of this drum is such that the 11nstemmedpeanuts nndergo an attriting action in the screen part of the drumwhereby the majority of the dirt is removed and the shells to a certainextent are polished, and small sticks, parts of vines, leaves' and trashare also removed before the stemming saws are reached. The longitudinalslots in the sieve portion have a tendency to direct the peannts in alongitudinal. direc tion thus arranging the pods to be acted on mosteffectively by the stemming saws. The reticulated metal work comprisingthe stemming dr11m portion, permits stems which are cut within the drumt0 drop through the openings and thereby relieving the stemming saws ofa large amount of inefiective work. By the inclination of the cylinder,and becaJuse of the small'inlet opening and the large outlet opening,the peannts have a normal travel from the inlet to the dischargeend, ina modified spiral path. The forces acting within the effective zone ofthe stemming saws however, are such as to be substantially centered orcounter-balanced at a location between the stmming saws so that themajority of the peanuts are carried to this field by the variousopposing forces and consequently are rotated over and over in this zoneuntil the the end sills of the main rame 5 (Eig. 6). The drm 1 ispreferably formed in two sections, each of which is substantiallyonehalf the total length of the drum. The first section A preferablyincludes an inlet header 6 which has its end wall 7 inclinedand isprovided with a relatively small inlet opening 8 that is substantiallyclosed by an inlet spout 9. This first section A also includes acylinder10 formed of sheet metal and provided with slots 11, the major dimensionof which is substantially parallel to the axis of the drum. Flights orbeaters l2, comprising boards or plates of sheet metal, are securedwithin the cylinder 10 by means of brackets 14: which are riveted orbolted through the cylinder 10. The second section B of the long drum 1,is composed of a series of pulleys C which have their peripheries spacedapart a sufiicientdistance to provide circumferentialslots 15. Thesepulleys include spiders 16 upon which are monnted the face orperipheralportions 17 of the pulleys which face is preierably formed of sheetmetal provided with slots l8, whose major direction extends in thedirection of the circumference of the pulleys. Intermediate the firstandsecond section is an annular member 19 iwhich forms a support for oneend of the cylindcr 10 and which is provided onits periphery' with alarge andriven by any suitable driving mechanism,

but in the construction disclosed, the shaft 27 is ,1nounted in,journals on the peannt picking and stemming machine frame 28 andcarries a bevel gear 29 Which is driven by a companion bevel gear 30monnted upon the driving shaft 31. The main trame 5 (Figs. l, 3, 4: and6) carries arch-shaped bearing plates 32 in which are ournaled thestemming'saw shafts 34 and These saw shafts are provided with pinions 36and 37 respectively, which' engage the large annular gear 20 therebyrotating the stemming saw shafts 34 and 35 when the large drum 1 V isrotated. The stemming saw shafts 34 and 85 carry respectwely a ser1es ofstemming s'aWs 38, and a series of stemming saws 39. These stemmmg sawsare arranged to proect through the c1rcumferential slots 15 between thepulleys 0 in such manner that,

stemming saw shaftt 35 is arranged in such manner that the saws 39carried thereby are somewhat above and beyond the zone of action of thesaws carried on the shaft 34, and that the peripheral speed of thestemming saWs is approxirnatelv twice the peripheral speed of theste1nming drum.

Any suitable mechanism may be provided for disposing of the peanutsafter they have passed out of the discharge end of the stemming drnn1 1,but in the construction herein shown a two bladed paddle is provided.This paddle comprises a spider 40 on each arn1 of which is riveted orotherwise secured, a paddle blade 41 preferably formed of a thick pieceof rubber belting. The peanuts passing through the discharge opening 22drop into the trough 42 and are swept ont into the outlet spout 44,indicated in Fig. 3 in dotted lines.

As Will be noted from Figs. 1 and 6, the entire mechanism is mountedupon its own individual frame in such manner as to be self-contained andthus may be assembled without reference to assembling of othermechanisms with which it may be used in coperative relation, asforexample a peant picking device. (Not shown.) By Fig. 3 however, it willbe noted that prefer ably the main i'ranie 5 is securely elamped or heldin osition on the cross bars 45 (only one of Which is illustrated) ofthe peanut picking and stemming machine frame. Clamping blocks 46 arebolted on the cross bars 45 and engage with the main frame 5 to securelyhold the stemmer in position.

By reference to Fig. 5 it will be noted that the points 47 of thestemming saws are slightly rounded and that the gullets are also roundeds'ufiiciently to prevent the wedging of peanut stems between the sawteeth.

In the operation of the dev-ice, unstemmed peanuts passing clown theinlet spout 9 and clown th inclined wall 7 of the inlet header 6 intothe cylinder A have a tendency to travel toward the outlet end of thedrum 1 because of the inclination of the axis of the drum 1 to thehorizontal, as hereinbefore specified. As the drum rotates the unstemmedpeanuts are tn1nbled and succes sively lifted by the fiightsl2 and drop,thus substantially removing all of the loose earth and dirt that adheresto the shells, and the action of the longitudinal slots 11 together withthe longitudinal fiights 12 arranges the peanuts in such manner thattheir greatest length is substantially parallel to the axis of the drum,consequently by the time the peanuts reach the stemming section B theyare positioned to most efiiciently cooperate with the stemming savvs.

By reference to Fig. 7 it Will be noted that there are three forcesacting upon the peannts within the stemming section B, one force beingthe rotation'ofthe large drum 1, another force being the series of saws38 and 39, and the third being the force of gravity. Such peanuts asrest upon the stemniing druni Will be carried upward along the line ofthe arrows M. Peanuts whose stems are caught by the saw teeth of thesaws 38 Will be carried as indicated by the arrows N, and Will to aCertain extent, carry the surronding peanuts in the saine generaldirection, and the two forces M and N tend to deliver the peanuts at thezone 0. Such peanuts as pass between the saws Will continue to travel inthe direction of the arrows M, and snob peanuts as are caught by thesavvs 39, and whose stems are not removed until the saw passes beyondthe periphery of the drum 1, Will 1no-ve in the path indi cated by thearrows P. After the forces M and P are counteracted by the force ofgravity, the upper portion of the nnts Will roll downward in the generaldirection of the arrows R, until the downward force is overcome by theforces M and N.

From an inspection of the diagrammatic Fig. 7, it Will be noted that thegeneral tendeney of the forces, as indicated by the majority of thearrows, is toward the zone 0. Since the zone 0 is between the stemmingsaws 38 on one side and the stemming saws 39 on the other side, it Willbe noted that this is the most effective stemming zone in the whole drumand therefore it Will be seen that the arrangement and construction ofparts is such as to efl'ectively make us of this fact, since themajority of the peanuts are carried to and agitated within this zone.The stemmed peanuts naturally have a freer movement than the unstemmedpeanuts, so that the stemmed pods gradually move toward and pass out thedischarge opening and out into the outlet trough.

Having thns described rny invention what I desireto claim is:

1. In a peanut stemmer in combination, a rotary drurn including aportion provided With elongated openings substantially parallel to theaxis of the drum adapted to arrange the nuts longitudinally in the drumwhen said drum is rotated, and a stennning portion comprising shortcylinders spaced apart to form circumferential slots, stemming sawsextending through said circumferential slots into the interior of saiddrum, means to rotate the drum, means to rotate V said saws, and meansfofsupplying peanuts to said drum, said parts being adapted and arrangedto cause said peanuts within the drum to be discharged thei*efrom.

2. In a peanut stemmer in combination, a rotary drum including a portionadapted to arrange the peanuts lengthwise in the drum prior to theirarriving at the stem ming mechanism, and a stemming portion comprisingshort cylinders spaced apart to form circumferential slots, stemmingsaws extending through the slots into the interior of the drum, and aninlet chute for supply ing peanuts to the drum, said parts being adaptedand arranged to cause the peanuts within the drum to be dischargedtherefrom.

3. In a peanut stemmer in Combination, a rotary stemming drum comprisinga plurality of short cylinders spaced apart, to

form circnmferential slots, the periphery of each cylinder beingprovided with a plurality of elongated openings having their majordimension parallel to said circumerential slots, stemming saws extendingthrough said slots into theinterior of said drum,means to rotate saidstemming saws when said drum is rotated, and means for introducingpeanuts into said drum, said parts being oonstructed and arranged forcausing peanuts to be discharged from said drum.

4. In a peanut stemmer in oombinatiOn,-

a rotary drum including a sieve portion provided with elongated openingssubstan-' saws extehding through each slot'into the interior of thestemminp; portion, and meanS to supply peanuts to the drum, sa1d partsbeing adapted and arranged to cause pea-' nts to be discharged from thedrum.

5. In a peanut stemmer in combination, a rotary drum including shortcylinders spaoed apart to form oircumferential slots, means to rotatesnid drum, stemming saws extending through said slots into said drnm, ashaft upon which said stemining saws are mounted, a large annular gearcarried by said drum and rotatable th-erewith, a small pinion of lessdiameter than said' stemr ning saws andmounted on said saw shaft in engagement with said annular gear to drive said saw shaf't when saidannular gear is rotated, and means to supply peanuts to said drum, saidparts being adapted and. arr-anged to cause said peanuts to bedischarged frorn the drum.

6. In a-stemming mechanism in combi nation, a rotary drum includingshort cylin- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

the large annular gear, and means to in' troduce peanuts into said drum,the parts being constructed and arranged to cause said peanuts to bedischarged from the drain and to cause the zone of maximum activity t0lie between the series of stemming saws.

7. In a peanut stemmer in combination, a drum comprised of shortcylinders spaced apart to form circumferential slots, a shaft parallelto the axis of said 'drum, stemming saws mounted upon sa1d shaft andextending into saiddrum through said slots, means to rotate said drum,means carried loy said drum to rotate said shaft when said drum isrotated, and means to introduce peanuts into said drum, the parts beingadapted and arranged to discharge peanuts from said I drum.

8. In a peanut stemmer in combination, an inclined rotating drum adaptedto arrange a mass of unstemmed nuts with the major dimension of themajority of the nuts extending substantially lengthwise of the drum andto feed the mass of unstemmed nuts to stemming devices, stemming devicesincludinp; a gang of stemming saws having their blades set transversethe path 'of the mass of unstemmed nuts and means to rotate saidstemming saws.

9. In a peanut stemmer in combination, a rotary drum comprising shortoylinders spaced apart to form circnmferential slots, tW0 stemming sawsarranged in each slot,

the axes of the saws being on the same side of a vertical plane throughthe axis of the drum and below a horizontal plane passing.

THOMAS M. LILLISTON.

YVitnesses:

W. G ELAM, R. L. WODWARD.

Washington, 1). C.

